A Wolf at the Door
by elinorofealdor
Summary: A stalker-killer whose only identifier is a wolf mask is attacking young women in Ystad, and Kurt Wallander's niece is his next target. When she escapes one attack, the force is on the case and Emilia is put into protective custody under the care of Magnus. Rated M for violence and more eventual adult content.
1. Chapter 1

Emilia gasped as the hand reached out of the darkness and closed around her arm. She swung out from behind the building. The man was trying to drag her to the van, but she swiftly shifted on her heel, forcing him to exert more force to pull her along. She shifted her weight to her right heel and slammed her right into his shin, halfway between his ankle and knee.

The man yelped just as Emilia heard a woman scream in the back of the van. The scream was cut short with a gurgling sound and Emilia saw a stream of blood splatter across the van's window. She gave the man holding her another kick and he released her. She lost her balance and tumbled to the ground, scrambling instantly to stand. A hand closed on her ankle and she yanked hard, not daring to turn around. Just then, the van door opened and a man in a Halloween wolf mask emerged with a knife, with easily eight inches of blade. Emilia managed to get her foot out of the man on the ground's grasp, and slammed her heel down on his fingers before sprinting.

"You bitch!" The man yelled after her. He was then silenced with the same sickening sound as the woman Emilia heard in the van.

She kept running, hearing footsteps coming after her. Taking several turns through the quiet streets, she finally saw an alley which led to the bustling center of Ystad. She pushed herself, blood mingling with sweat from the slash she had receive on her stomach the first time she tried to run. This time she had to make it.

Twenty yards from the glowing lights of nightlife and traffic, she was yanked back by a hand grasping the back of her hoodie. She was pulled and slammed into a wall, the wind knocked out of her. As she gulped in air, trying to regain breath to scream, the bloodied knife pressed to her throat.

"Run girl, for all your worth," the voice behind the mask taunted. "You're next."

She stared into the black eyeholes, seeing nothing in the alley's darkness. When a car turned down the alley, the man backed up a pace, then turned and fled, running with alacrity as Emilia felt her legs give and slid down the wall.

The car stopped right after it drove past her. A middle-aged man scooted out of the car and moved to her. Emilia pushed herself to her feet, trying to ready herself to strike if needed. The man wore an expensive suit and looked very tired.

"Are you alright miss? I saw that man run away, are you-" He paused, finally taking her all in. "Dear god," he breathed as he reached in his pocket, pulling out his mobile and calling the emergency line.

Sitting in the Ystad police offices was never Emilia's favorite place, or any police office really. She had grown up in several and though she was accustomed to officers of all varieties, it never felt like home to her. Being the black sheep in a family of officers, doctors, nurses, soldiers, spending time in their official quarters made her feel under the same scrutiny she experienced when at family dinners and reunions - the writer, the creator, the escapist in a sea of those steeped in reality.

In this instance she felt even more scrutinized, being both victim and related to one of the department's head detectives. It was Wallander who picked her up at the scene and brought her here in his car, though it was Magnus who pulled her off the damp pavement where she had sunk once the businessman called for emergency services. The paramedics couldn't rouse her, nor could Kurt, but one touch of Magnus' hand and she found herself standing, his silent strength seeming to feed her and wake her from her stupor.

Now, he and Kurt argued in one of the offices about her protection detail. She overheard more of the conversation than they likely wanted, and while externally her face remained as impenetrable as the emotional wall she put up as soon as the sirens could be heard coming her way, internally there was one glimmer of hope. Magnus fought with Kurt to convince him not to get assigned to her protection detail, knowing that if he pushed back on Wallander a bit, Kurt would order Magnus to do it. If Magnus had expressed any interest at all in the job, they would have hoisted it on someone else, and for the first time in twenty-six hours Emilia almost smiled as Magnus emerged from the office in a huff.

He looked down at her, holding his hand out. "Miss Rendahl."

Emilia didn't look at him, but placed her hand in his as she stood.

Magnus released her hand, then swiped his jacket from the back of a chair as he gestured her forward.

"You sure you want to go home? We could find-"

Emilia shook her head at Kurt standing in the doorway. "No. I know my way around there, and he doesn't. Besides, two uniforms and my eager protector are all I need, right?" She gestured to Magnus who clenched his jaw.

"I'll call you in the morning," Kurt said reassuringly as she passed him. "We're all here for you."

"All of you?" Emilia said with a raised eyebrow as Magnus brushed past her.


	2. Chapter 2

Magnus shut the door and locked it, hearing Emilia pace in the living room. He moved into the space and looked at her.

"I'm sorry," he said softly. "I thought if I told Kurt I wanted this detail he wouldn't give it to me, and-"

"I understand," Emilia cut in, then stopped pacing and looked at him. "And I'm thankful that it's you. I don't think I could have stayed here with anyone else. It's just..." she trailed off and started pacing again.

"Look," Magnus tried. "I don't want what might have happened between us to make you uncomfortable in your own home."

"Tonight was supposed to be our first date," she replied. She stopped pacing again and her eyes turned up to meet his gaze. She had teared up but would not let herself cry.

Magnus looked at her, resisting the urge to pull her into his arms. "Mia," he whispered.

Emilia rubbed her hands over her eyes and sniffed, then took a deep breath. When she looked at him again, her mask of calm dissatisfaction had returned. "We can't always get what we want."

"Don't," Magnus said, taking a step toward her. "Don't shut me out. Not now."

"What am I supposed to do, Magnus? You're my guard, my babysitter, as you so eloquently told Kurt."

"I didn't mean -"

"I know you didn't, and I know why you put up that fight with him. And I mean it when I say I don't think I could stay here with anyone else watching over me. But I can't have this tension between us. I can't tiptoe around my house and pretend like you being here to protect me isn't a way to get closer to me. I want you to get closer - I want us to get closer. But you have a job to do, a job you could lose in an instant if Kurt or anyone knew."

She shook her head. "I can't be responsible for that."

"Then we don't hide," Magnus said. "Not here. This is your home. We just don't... act."

"And out there we have to hide. Always."

Magnus nodded. "I wish we didn't."

"So do I," she replied with a sad smile. "I guess maybe we should try and put this in a better light."

"How do you mean?"

"So... we can't push any physical boundaries that would go beyond close friends, but we can use this time to get to know one another better. That is, if you're interested in me for more than a good shag." She winked at him and he chuckled before growing serious.

Taking another step to her, he bent his head down so their foreheads almost touched. "I'm interested in far more than that."

She put a finger to his lips. "And that's the last time you can say that until this is over."

They stood like that for a moment before Magnus nodded slowly. Emilia moved her finger away.

"You hungry?" She asked.

Magnus shrugged. "Sure. You want to order something?"

"Hell no. I'm cooking, and you're choosing the wine."

He smiled. "Whatever you say."

"My house, my rules?"

"If that's what you want to tell yourself," Magnus chuckled.

Emilia gave a mock salute. "Of course, detective."

She moved toward the kitchen. "There's room in the hall closet for your stuff, and you can put whatever you want in the loo down here."

Magnus picked up his bags and moved into the hall. "Thanks."

Emilia opened the fridge and started pulling some items out and placing them on the counter.

"So what's on the menu?" Magnus called from the hall.

"Well, you were going to take me to Volare, yes?"

Magnus peaked out around the corner. "Italian?"

Emilia shifted from behind the fridge door and nodded.

"Marvellous," Magnus grinned and popped back around the corner to unpack more of his stuff.

"There's wine in the cellar," Emilia said as she began pulling out pots and pans. "White would probably work best, but go with whatever you feel like."

Ten minutes later Magnus emerged from the basement with two bottles of wine, a pinot noir and a viognier. Kicking the cellar door closed, he sauntered into the kitchen. Emilia was busy chopping tomatoes and carrots. A pile of onions and garlic already lay to the side of the cutting board.

"Remind me why we didn't just do this in the first place," Magnus said as he set the red wine on the counter and put the white in the freezer.

"For one, you didn't ask," Emilia said as she continued chopping. "For two, I assumed you were being traditional and asking a lady out to dinner for which you would pay."

Magnus fumbled in the drawers searching for a bottle opener.

"I can be gentlemanly," he defended.

Emilia spun to face him, knife in hand, and playfully brandished it. "Well, I guess I'll find out."

Magnus finally locate a bottle opener and turned to face her, starting back at the sight. "I promise," he said, holding up his hands. "All gentleman."

Smiling, Emilia turned back to her chopping. "If you're going to be this jumpy, I'm going to have a lot of fun with you."

Magnus clicked his teeth and set to work opening the wine bottle. Once it was open, he reached above Emilia to the cabinets near her head. She finished chopping and set the knife down. As she shifted to move the cutting board toward the stove, Magnus gave her hair a playful tug.

She glared up at him and he grinned.

"Gentleman indeed," she snickered. "More like playground man."

He chuckled as he opened the cabinet and pulled out to goblets. "Alright, I admit it. You either get the gentleman or the five year old with a crush."

"You had crushes at five?" Emilia asked as she moved the cutting board and turned on the stove, drizzling olive oil in a large pan. "When did you go through the girls have cooties phase?"

"Four," Magnus said nonchalantly. "And again around ten, but that didn't last long."

"Who was she?"

"Selene Harper. She was a tomboy, but had these huge, dark brown eyes and her hair was curlier than mine. She wore it braided in pigtails and all the boys pulled on it."

"Except you, I suppose."

"Oh no, I did too," he continued as he started pouring the wine. "Until one day when I saw her hiding behind the gymnasium. She was re-braiding her hair and her hands were shaking. I just moved toward her... I couldn't have explained why, but I knew she was really sad and I suddenly felt guilty for all the times I'd pulled her hair. I walked up to her and asked if she was OK. She didn't want to talk to me. Understandable. So I just sat beside her, leaned against the wall and watched her. She kept tugging out the braid and redoing it, and after a couple minutes she started to cry. I didn't know what to do, but I reached up and took one of her hands and as soon as I did she sank down next to me and put her head on my shoulder and just cried. When the bell rang she sprinted away, but I just sat there."

He handed a glass to Emilia who had turned away from the sizzling garlic and onions in the pan to listen to him. She took it and held it, not drinking.

"I went back to class late, and after school I tried to find her, but I couldn't. The next day I went back to the same place and she was there again, sitting on the ground. I sat down next to her. She had one of her hands on her knee and I put mine over it. We just sat like that for a couple minutes. Then she told me that the day before when she went home her father yelled at her for the state of her hair, like he did every time she came home and her braids were uneven or messy from when she left in the morning. He was a single father and she was an only child, and he spent time carefully braiding her hair every night hoping it would last a couple days, but the boys at school pulling it always messed it up. Sometimes the others put sticks and rocks in it, or threw dirt on it. Her father didn't know how to do anything else with her hair and was trying to keep it clean and presentable, but he also didn't know how to communicate with his daughter. So she had her father on the one hand, and all the boys at school on the other... and after she told me that I lit into anyone who tried to mess up her hair. I got into a couple fights, but they soon stopped tormenting her, and my parents had her and her father over for dinner one night and after that we were really good friends. Her father became close with my parents and learned how to talk to his daughter, and I never thought girls had cooties again after that first day."

He gave a small, sad smile as Emilia gazed at him.

"Do you still keep in touch?"

Magnus shook his head. "Her father got a new job when we were fourteen and they moved to Prague. We just, you know."

Emilia nodded. "I take back what I said about the playground man. I know men our age who wouldn't have been that kind, or even remember doing something like that at ten." She raised her glass to him and he lightly clinked his on hers. They both took sips before Emilia set her glass down and continued cooking.

Magnus stepped back to the frame at the entrance to the kitchen and leaned against it, watching her. "Anything I can do?"

"You can find something good on the satellite radio stations," she replied while adding in the carrots and tomatoes to the pan.

"WIll do," Magnus said as he shifted from the frame and walked into the living room.

"And then you can dance for my amusement," Emilia said.

"Ummm..."

"It's the price you pay for me cooking and you not taking me out for dinner," she said, turning around to smile at him. "And for complaining to Kurt that you have to babysit me."

Magnus opened his mouth to object, then closed it and nodded. "If it will make you happy."

"Exceedingly," she beamed.

"Very well."

Magnus moved into the living room and flicked on the television. He scanned for the music channels and initially turned to a dance mix channel. Lady Gaga began piping out of the speakers and Emilia turned her head from the stove, looked at Magnus, and nodded.

"Please, no," he said, and the fear in his expression made Emilia start laughing.

"My house, my rules," Emilia grinned. "And you have to admit the beat is easy to hear."

Magnus shuffled uneasily and she kept giggling.

"Fine," she relented. "We'll ease into Gaga. See if there's something on one of the retro stations."

Magnus flipped through several stations and finally landed on the forties station where smooth horns cooed.

"This alright?" He called into the kitchen.

"It's fine," she called back, now swirling tomato paste and crushed tomatoes into the pan.

"Smells good already," Magnus said, coming back toward the kitchen with his glass of wine. He leaned in the doorframe and watch Emilia cook for a few minutes, casually taking sips here and there.

"I don't hear dancing," Emilia finally said, making a half turn to get pasta out of the cabinet.

Magnus set down his wine glass and backed away a few paces, doing a little poorly improvised soft shoe. Emilia looked back at him and giggled.

"You didn't say it had to be good dancing," Magnus said, sheepish yet smiling.

Emilia turned back and dumped the pasta into the pot of boiling water. After salting and couple stirs, she turned back to Magnus. "I'd be willing to bet you're better than that."

"Not without a partner," he said as he slinked toward her.

Emilia held a hand out toward him. "No. I'm cooking. And you're supposed to be my entertainment."

Magnus swiped her hand away and wrapped an arm around her waist. "You can be entertained up close," he said softly, beginning to sway with her.

"Inspector Martinsson, is this how you protect all your charges?"

"No," he smiled. "Only you."

He took her other hand in his and moved them toward the living room, easily maneuvering to the music.

"The pasta-" she started.

"Has a few minutes, doesn't it?"

Emilia glared at him, then softened her look as he smiled down at her.

"This is going all to be much easier if you relax around me," he said.

"I am relaxed," she gritted.

"Convincing."

Emilia sighed, but after a second she shifted a bit closer to him and pressed her forehead to his chest. "I'm trying," she said.

"I can't imagine what you're going through right now," he said, keeping her swaying to the music with him. "If any of this, with us, is too much-"

"Shhhhh. I have to stir the pasta in a minute. Let's just... have a minute."

"Whatever you need," he replied, moving the hand around her waist up higher on her back as they swayed gently to the music.

When Emilia pulled away, she squeezed the hand that held hers, then sauntered back into the kitchen. She took a sip of wine, then lifted the lid on the sauce, poured in the rest of the wine, gave it a quick stir and replaced the lid. When Magnus moved into the kitchen, he took the empty wine glass and refilled it, as well as his own. Emilia stirred the pasta, then turned toward Magnus who handed her the glass. They clinked and took a few sips.

After a tense pause, Emilia chuckled. "Well, I sure know how to bring the room down."

"I could dance on my own some more," Magnus smiled and they both started laughing.


	3. Chapter 3

Conversation lightened after that and by the time they had eaten both were pleasantly intoxicated on wine and each other's company.

"You know, I shouldn't be drinking at all," Magnus said as he finished his fourth glass of wine.

"First night jitters," Emilia smiled. "I won't tell if you won't."

"Your house, your rules," he smiled back.

"Although," he continued as he sank down off her couch and onto the floor, stretching his legs out under the coffee table. "I find myself wondering about my earlier confession tonight, regarding playground crushes."

Emilia mock-glared at him. "You want to know about mine?"

Magnus shrugged. "Seems fair."

"And who said any part of this arrangement was going to be fair?"

"You don't have to if -"

"His name was Jackson." Emilia stretched out on the couch, her legs behind Magnus' shoulders where they pressed against the edge. "It was while I was in America. He was one of the bad boys, by reputation, but he was never really bad. A bit of a smart ass, but really smart, too. Not the best family environment, and yet he made it seem better than it was. We were in the same composition and art classes and just... clicked."

"Love at first sight?" Magnus teased.

"Yes. Star-crossed love at eleven." She nudged his shoulder with his foot.

"And what happened?"

"I moved when we were seventeen. We tried dating for a bit in high school, but it was... complicated."

Magnus raised an eyebrow at her.

"Let's just say our parents were on different sides of the law and it made for an uneasy go of it at that age."

"So he was a bad boy."

"A bit of a hellraiser, yeah. But not a bad guy."

There was a knock at the door and Emilia jumped slightly. Magnus was up in an instant and put a hand on her leg, looking at her as though to say, "Stay put."

He moved toward the front door, pulling his side arm out of its holster on the side table. With his gun at the ready, he eased toward the door when a voice carried through.

"Magnus. Mia. It's Kurt."

Both Magnus and Emilia sighed. Magnus checked the peephole to ensure Kurt was alone, then unlocked and opened the door.

"Couldn't ring first?" Emilia asked as Kurt entered the foyer.

She resumed her leisurely stance on the couch. Kurt came into the living room and took a glance around. "I thought it best to come by unannounced. Make sure everything was... up to standard."

Magnus rolled his eyes behind Kurt, then put his gun back in the holster on the table. "So you assign me the detail, then don't trust that I can handle it?"

"This is my family."

"Boys, please. Enough." Emilia cut in. "Kurt, would you like some tea or anything?"

Kurt shook his head. "Just wanted to see you had everything you needed."

"I don't need two guards." She rose from the couch and moved into the kitchen, putting a kettle of water on the stove. "So why are you actually here?"

Kurt shuffled to the entryway of the kitchen. "Well, there is, ummm..."

"Just tell me," Emilia said as she took two regular mugs and a travel mug out of the cabinets.

"There are some details we'd like to discuss further."

"Can it wait until tomorrow?"

"Of course. It's only, well," Kurt paused.

Emilia was taking tea bags out of their box and tilted her head back, sighing. "You want me to go back to the station."

"Just for an hour or so."

"I thought you said anything else could be done, you know, anywhere but there."  
"It seemed it could, but there's a couple things, evidence, we found that we want you to take a look at and we can't take it out of the precinct."

Turning on the kettle, Emilia looked back to Kurt. "And you had to come over to tell me that? What else is there, uncle?"

Kurt looked to Magnus who was clearing their dinner dishes off the coffee table. "Uh, Magnus, could you give us a moment?"

Magnus moved into the kitchen with the dishes, put them in the sink, then shifted out in front of Emilia who stared daggers at her uncle.

"I'll just arrange my stuff in the loo," Magnus murmured as he left them.

A few seconds later, the door to the toilet down the hall clicked shut and Emilia inclined her head in the direction Magnus had gone. "And what was that about?"

"Look," Kurt began. "I know this isn't an ideal situation for you, but it is for your own safety. I just... I put Magnus on this because you are familiar with him and he's closer to your age than most of the officers, and we all agreed this guy would likely be more intimidated by a tall, armed man than a female. The department agrees with me, but if it really is a problem for you..."

Emilia felt herself flush when Kurt mentioned her being familiar with Magnus. Her mind flashed to their dancing earlier that night, to Magnus' nervous yet somehow charming manner of asking her out two weeks ago. If Kurt actually knew how familiar they were, the two of them wouldn't be allowed within fifty yards of each other until this was all over. She swallowed hard at that thought, masking her nerves with frustration.

"You put him on this because he's a good officer, yes?"

"Yes."

"And you believe he'll protect me?"

"Of course. I never would have if I didn't-"

"Then let him do his job. If you show up whenever, unannounced, to check his progress it could make him doubt himself, throw him off. Hell, it'll throw me off, and I'm the one who's supposed to feel safe, am I not?"

Kurt nodded and a soft whistle came from the kettle. "Then leave us to our own devices and we'll sort it out. I don't doubt Magnus' abilities. It's just something we'll both have to adjust to."

She turned away to get the tea ready and Kurt called out, "Magnus, you can come back whenever you're ready."

A moment later, Magnus emerged from the hall as Emilia was putting the lid on the travel mug. She handed it to Kurt. "So what time do we have to be there tomorrow?"

"Around ten would be good." Kurt nodded to Magnus. "Keep her safe."

"Yes, chief," Magnus replied, the barest hint of annoyance creeping in his tone.

Kurt opened his mouth to reply, but Emilia took him by the arm and started leading him toward the door as she spoke.

"Thank you for stopping by to pass along the information, uncle. We'll see you at the station tomorrow morning. Enjoy your tea."

She gave him a pleasant smile, but her eyes relayed the message that it was past time he was gone.

"Right. Thanks for that. I'll see you later." He nodded at Magnus who had followed as far as the frame of the foyer and leaned against it. Magnus nodded back before Kurt turned to open the door and walked out. Emilia shut and locked it after him, then turned to Magnus.

"Good job, officer," she said as she breezed past him.

"What did I do?" Magnus asked, trailing after her as she went back into the kitchen.

She handed him a mug of tea, a small smile creeping into her features. "Convinced Kurt there's just about anything you'd rather do that watch over me."

Magnus looked at her, conflicted. "That's why he came here?"

Emilia nodded. "Basically offered to take you off the detail if I said you made me feel unsafe or uncomfortable."

"And?"

"You're still here, aren't you?" She smiled, then took a sip of her tea.

Magnus returned her smile then sipped his own tea. They stood for a minute in silence, occasionally sipping.

"I suppose I should give you the grand tour," Emilia finally said. "I mean, you've seen the main floor, and the cellar, but there's upstairs and the patio. Aren't you supposed to, scout the place, or something like that?"

Magnus chuckled, not teasing, but amused at how she suddenly seemed flustered.

"Um, yeah. We can do that now, if you like. The guys outside had a look through the back earlier, but if you want to show me around…"

He trailed off, realising why she had gotten flustered. It had nothing to do with showing him her patio or backyard, but what was upstairs. "Or we can wait until tomorrow. It's been a long day, and-"

"No, it's fine," she cut in, her nerves seeming to have dissipated. "Bring your tea and follow me."

She shifted on her heels, then moved past him to the foyer, then up the staircase. Magnus trailed after, using the bannister where she did not, and noting the softness of the carpet on her stairs.

"This carpet is very posh - new?"

"Not really, just well kept. And it is posh. Left over from before I moved in. The stairs don't creek and the carpet muffles most steps to imperceptible. Either they were really light sleepers or one of them didn't want to expose the other to frequent leavings of some sort." She turned around at the top of the stairs and gave him a wink.

She gestured to the left.

"In there's my cupboard office and," she added, pointing just to the left of the stairs, "the laundry closet."

Magnus arrived at the top of the stairs, and turned to open the laundry closet. It was a simple closet converted with a stacked washer-dryer and a shelf above with detergent and a few assorted clothing care items. He nodded as Emilia slipped past him to the office. She flicked on the light switch which illuminated a small chandelier with bulbs that glowed a soft orange. The room was very small, but there was a window looking out to the front, soft red curtains drawn close framing it. Emilia's desk, chair, and a file cabinet pressed in one corner near the window, and the rest of the small room was lined with narrow bookshelves. One lone leather highback chair pressed in the corner opposite the desk. The carpet had been stripped to expose deep tan wood floorboards.

"This is cozy," Magnus commented.

"It's tiny, made moreso with the bookcases, but it suits. When I'm not holed up in here working, feel free to come in and read or whatever. You'll probably want some time and space to yourself."

"Thanks," he replied, noticing her almost flush as she took another sip of tea. He came into the small room and looked around, giving the bookshelves a quick scan.

"Quite the collection," he apprised.

"It's just a smattering," she said. "I'm hoping one day to have room for a lot more."

She shrugged past him toward the door.

"Or I'll just convert the basement to a library," she smiled as he moved past her.

She flicked the light off and stepped across the small hallway. Pushing the door, Magnus was greeted by the sight of a large four-poster bed with a dark, oak nightstand, and another half wall of books on matching shelves.

"Nice," he said. "May I?"

Emilia gestured for him to proceed. Magnus stepped into the room and she followed, slipping off to the left to flick on the lights. A warm glow illuminated the room, highlighting the bed and the bookshelves.

Magnus shuffled across the light grey carpet, moving further inside the room. He strode to the window beside the bookshelves, and peered through the steel-blue curtains. He then moved around the bed to the other window that overlooked the backyard. The moonlight peaked through the curtains and he pulled them open, looking down to her yard with its small, low deck and high hedges boxing the property in.

"Are those jasmine?" He asked, turning to find she had slipped beside him almost silently. He made a mental note of how quiet one could move in this room, and how quiet she could be.

"Mmmm," she nodded. "Also a gift from the former owners. I had to have a landscaper come look at them after the first month. Can't seem to keep most plants alive myself. But now they get the attention they need from an actual gardener every other week."

She looked up at him, his eyes shining at her, then away quickly. "Would you like to smell them? It's about the right time of night."

"Sure," he replied, just above a whisper.

Outside on the deck, Magnus inhaled the scents of the night. Emilia had turned on the outdoor lanterns as well as the Christmas lights entwined in the hedges, casting a soft glow around the yard.

"You have a thing for lighting, don't you?" He smiled as he took in the yard.

Emelia leaned against the wooden railing beside him after setting her mug on the deck table.

"I suppose I do," she mused. "Everything commercial seems so garishly lit these days. Like the only way to draw your eye to something is to light it up so it burns itself into your retinas with brightness. But you don't really take anything in that way. It just sort of flashes and then is gone. It's uncomfortable and almost painful to - god, listen to me. I sound like an old woman."

"No." Magnus said, leaning against the railing as well. "You sound like someone who would rather experience the world as it should be seen rather than how the commercialized world tries to force us to see it."

Emilia smiled. "That makes me sound far more optimistic and philosophical than I am."

Magnus stood up, placed his mug on the table, and then hoisted himself over the rail onto the springy grass.

"In whatever light," he said as he strode over to one of the jasmine vines and plucked a flower. "You see the world more clearly because you look for the calmer beauty, the glow that comes from within."

"Aren't you quite the poet," she smiled as he approached her, twirling the jasmine blossom between two fingers.

"Maybe I missed my calling," he said as he reached up and tucked the blossom above her ear.

As he looked at her, the unspoken feelings between them infused the air. Magnus licked his lips and took a step closer.

"Magnus," she murmured.

"I know."

They stood there for a few more seconds before Magnus moved to the stairs and walked up to them. He collected the mugs from the table, looking back to Emilia as he went toward the door. "Come on. I think I've got enough caffeine and alcohol in me now to try some club dancing."

Emilia laughed. "And here I thought the entertainment portion of the night had come to an end."

Magnus smiled back at her. "Oh no, this is just the beginning."


	4. Chapter 4

She ran through the alley, turning down corridors that grew darker as she ran for a light that never seemed to get closer. She heard footsteps behind her, but when she looked back could see no one. They got closer, and she ran harder, but felt as though every step took longer until it seemed as though she was running through water.

As the hand closed on the back of her neck, Emilia woke up screaming. Magnus was in the doorway, rushing to her.  
"It's alright," he said calmly, as he sat on the bed and pulled her into his arms. "You're safe."

Emilia had stopped screaming, and felt herself trembling in his arms.

"This isn't- I'm not - I'm fine," she attempted, her body betraying her words. She tried to shrug herself out of Magnus' arms, but he held her firm.

"You're not," he said firmly. "But you will be."

Emilia opened her mouth to speak, to argue, but then closed it. She nodded, sighing as she let Magnus hold her, comfort her. He smoothed a hand down her hair and back, his breaths calm and steady.

"You can hold me, if you want," he said softly after a moment.

"I can't," she murmured.

"Why not?" He asked as his lips brushed over the top of her head.

Her tremors were subsiding, and with one hand she gripped the white tank he wore, twisting the material in her hand but not touching his skin. "Because if I hold you now, when I'm like this, I may never be able to let go."

Magnus' breath seemed to hitch, and then became shallow. Emilia swallowed hard, words catching her throat. After a moment, Magnus nodded, his chin brushing the side of her head as he squeezed her gently. "Do you want me to go?"

"I don't know what you expect me to say to that," Emilia began.

Magnus pulled back, gently cupping her face in his hands as he spoke. "The truth."

She looked at him for a moment, the light in his eyes reflecting from the pale moonlight coming in through her curtains. She released her hold on his shirt, and turned away from him, but immediately pressed her back into his chest. Magnus sighed, then wrapped one arm around her midsection. They eased down onto the mattress together, Magnus sliding beneath her duvet as she reached forward and shook the blanket upwards to make room. As the billowing cover draped over them, Magnus tucked his other arm under a pillow.

"Are you alright with this?" Emilia finally murmured.

Magnus kissed her shoulder in reply, and they soon both fell into a dreamless sleep.


End file.
